Macedonians in Diaspora Greek communities in Central Europe & Hungary

1. Macedonians in Diaspora Greek communities in Central Europe & Hungary 17th, 18th, 19 thcentury

2. During 16th century, the lack of security and stability due to the Ottomans’ expansion in the Balkan peninsula resulted in the migration of populations from the Balkan peninsula to Central Europe. Their final destinations were countries in Habsburg Empire and in German territories, in Poland, Russia, and Ukraine.

3. Meanwhile, the Ottoman market ‘s gradual integration in the global economy and the reorientation of the Ottoman trade to European countries had created new economic conditions and opportunities for Ottoman citizens and especially for those belonging to the Christian orthodox Church.

4. Therefore, merchants and craftsmen, descended mainly from Macedonia, Epirus and Thessaly, migrated to cities in Central Europe. These people undertook an important role in the trading of domestic goods and western products...

5. …following specific directions and routes to reach their destinations.

6. Based on their common origin, people usually moved and settled in cities, where other people from their homeland had already created local communities. For example…. Hodmezovasarhely Kozani

7. Based on their common origin, people usually moved and settled in cities, where other people from their homeland had already created local communities. For example…. Hodmezovasarhely Moscopole Kastoria Ioannina

8. Hodmezovasarhely At that time, the main migration routes for Greeks and Aromanians (Macedo-Wallachians)directed mainly to cities in Central Europe, Hungary, Austria and Ukraine.

9. The entry of immigrants into the Habsburg Empire was made through the customs in the borders of the Empire with the Ottoman Empire. Legrad Torcsvar Vorostorony Brod Gradiska Mitrovica Mehadia Pancsova Semlin Orsova

10. In Hungary, the immigrant Greeks were mainly dealing with trade. The kind of trade they chose usually was depended on the particular circumstances prevailing in the marketing and reception areas. In this country, three main types of Greek merchants were active: the itinerant or traveling merchants covering the needs of the rural population, the merchants who were settled in the cities, opening stores and selling products and those who were transporting products from one city to another.

11. This way, a communicative network was established between merchants who were active in different cities of Habsburg Empire.

12. Soon, the Greek merchant communities in cities of the Hungarian mainland were increased, thanks to the mass-dispersion of Greeks and Wallachians from Macedonia to Hungary. The creation of companies was necessary for the social and economical life of immigrants Ottomans citizens, in order to have representatives in the political councils of the host country.

13. For this reason, commercial companies were established in many cities….

14. ….as well as Greek Orthodox communities.

15. The communities’ main concern was the construction of Orthodox churches and cemeteries, symbols of their members social consistency…

16. Charisios Megdanis, a known scholar from Kozani, undertook an important role in the Greek communities’ educational reorganization. … as well as the establishment (and financing) of libraries and schools, where qualified teachers provided their services.

17. Descedants of well known Macedonian families were included in the list of Hungarian noblemen of Greek orthodox origin. Among them: Andreas Deras (1741)Apostolos Manos (1712)Ioannis Manousis (1827)Petros Motsonis (1783) Cyrillos and Christophoros Nakos (1784) Georgios Paschalis (1765)Dionysios Popovich (1797)Simon Sinas (1818) Georgios Takatsis (1822)Constantinos Terpkos (1825) Paulos Sakellariou (1884)

18. The mass movement of Greek and Macedonian-Wallachianpopulations and the establishment of Greek communities and commercial companies in the cities of the host countries played an important role in the configuration of the economic and social character of these cities. They also had a great influence in their residents’ lives.

19. The main cities in Hungary, where Greeks, Serbs and other orthodox people from Balkan peninsula lived…. … and all the activities developed in them (16th -19th century).

23. The maps were derived from analytical best-fitting comparisons of maps included in Ap. Vakalopoulos and Öd. Füves studies with modern maps and based on texts written by Ikaros Mantouvalos and Ödon Füves. Bibliography: Füves Öd. , 1965. The Greeks of Hungary. Thessaloniki. [In Greek] Vakalopoulos Ap., 1964. History ofModern Greece, Vol. Β΄. Thessaloniki. [In Greek] Mantouvalos Ι. , 2011. “Migrating routes from Macedonia to Hungary (17th cent. - early 19th cent.) in Macedonians in Diaspora, 17th, 18th and 19th century. Eds: I.Koliopoulos, Ι.Michailidis, Thessaloniki: Society for Macedonian Studies, :178-235. [In Greek] Scientific Editors:Evangelos Livieratos, Olga Katsiardi - Hering, Ikaros MantouvalosDigital processing of maps in modern background:Angeliki Tsorlini, Chrysoula Boutoura